Männliche Bildnisstudie (Male Portrait Study) [p. 60]
1926 to 1950
![Männliche Bildnisstudie (Male Portrait Study) [p. 60] by Max Beckmann](https://images.artheonmuseum.org/nga/thumb/mnnliche-bildnisstudie-male-portrait-study-p-60-nga-64963.webp)
Medium
graphite on perforated, cream paper
Dimensions
sheet: 14 x 20 cm (5 1/2 x 7 7/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Max Beckmann
Accession Number
1984.64.42.8
Art Historical Context
Max Beckmann's *Männliche Bildnisstud* (Male Portrait Study), created sometime between 1926 and 1950, exemplifies the German Expressionist's mastery of drawing as a tool for psychological introspection. Rendered in graphite on perforated cream paper—a practical choice for sketchbooks allowing easy removal—this intimate 14 x 20 cm study captures a male subject's features with Beckmann's signature intensity. The perforated edges hint at its origin in a working artist's notebook, underscoring Beckmann's prolific output of preparatory sketches amid personal and political turmoil. Beckmann, a towe...
About the Artist
Max Beckmann
Max Carl Friedrich Beckmann (1884-1950) stands as one of the most significant German painters of the twentieth century, a complex artist who bridged Expressionism and the New Objectivity while forging a deeply personal visual language. Born in Leipzig into a middle-class family, Beckmann's artistic journey spanned from academic classicism through the traumatic crucible of World War I to a mature s...